Chapter 144: The Reform of the Official System of the Ming Dynasty
A light show in Nanjing city last night excited many people.
Even after a whole night, everyone still remembers the lights as bright as day.
Early the next morning, some well-connected businessmen in Nanjing began to inquire about how the lamp was made.
But it's a pity that this thing is an invention of the Academy of Sciences, and the electric lights and wires all over Nanjing last night were directly arranged by Zhu Biao.
For a while, they really couldn't detect the slightest bit of news.
While the businessmen were anxiously scratching their heads and looking for the business opportunities brought by the light bulbs, Zhu Biao also called the left prime minister Li Shanchang, the right prime minister Wang Guangyang, and the officials of the six ministries to the Xumi Fantasy World.
Come.
And what shocked them was that not only Zhu Biao was waiting for them, but also Zhu Yuanzhang sitting in the corner.
This immediately made all the ministers feel a little unnatural.
Facing Lao Zhu, to be honest, everyone was still a little scared.
"Don't worry about me, I'm here just to listen!"
"Just discuss things with the prince!" Zhu Yuanzhang explained with a smile.
Although everyone was still uneasy after hearing this, they finally calmed down and took their seats after bowing respectfully.
"Your Highness, I wonder why you have summoned the old ministers here this time?" Li Shanchang, as the leader of civil servants, spoke first.
Li Shanchang, who is now sixty-nine, is still full of energy even though he is nearly 70 years old.
Although his authority was greatly reduced compared to the original history by Lao Zhu Yi Hanlin Academy, and has been checked and balanced by Liu Ji, the censor of Zuodu, he is still the prime minister of Zuo, the head of the civil service until now.
This kind of treatment is much better than being forced to retire and return home after four years in Hongwu.
Although we cannot now monopolize power and say the same thing as we did in history, at the same time the risks are much smaller.
At least he didn't have to be suspected by Lao Zhu and end up being killed all over the place like he did originally.
Li Shanchang is generally satisfied with his current situation.
"It's indeed something big!"
Zhu Biao looked around and said with a smile: "As you all know, the plane wars in the late Qing Dynasty have completely stopped, and we have also entered a critical period of the industrial revolution. The next five to ten years will be very important.
ten years of development.”
"It can be said that there are new things in the country every day, such as the railway opened before and the electric light yesterday. If our court does not make corresponding changes, it will gradually be unable to keep up with the times!"
"Your Highness wants to reform the official system?" Li Shanchang was very sophisticated. Just listening to Zhu Biao's words, he instantly guessed his intention.
"The one who knows me is Mr. Li!"
"I do have such thoughts!"
"The current official system of the Ming Dynasty is that the prime minister commands six ministries, and the six ministries command hundreds of officials!"
"It would have been fine before, but now it seems that the imperial court has too few central management agencies!"
"For example, regarding the issue of electric lights, in the future the imperial court will deploy a large-scale power grid across the country in an effort to ensure that the whole country can use electricity, but who will do these things? When the power grid is completed, who will manage it?
"
"There is also the General Administration of Railways that was established before. This unit has always been directly managed by me. But in the future, there will be more and more departments like this. I can't manage them all, and I can't manage them all. In the end, they will have to be handed over to some departments.
People take responsibility!”
"But who is responsible for it is very important!"
Hearing what Zhu Biao said, everyone present could not help but feel moved at the same time.
They heard that His Royal Highness seemed to want to refine his powers this time.
In such reforms, there is a huge difference between the departments with real power and the departments without real power.
"I'll just tell you the truth!"
"In the future, the Ming Dynasty will completely abolish the official position of Prime Minister of Zhongshu Province."
Zhu Biao saw that everyone's eyes were twinkling, and he was too lazy to continue playing riddles. With one sentence, Li Shanchang was frightened half to death.
He had read the original history of the Ming Dynasty and knew very well that Lao Zhu had done this before, so it seemed that it was not incomprehensible that His Highness the Crown Prince would do it again.
"Of course, the death of the prime minister does not mean that the institutions that exercise the prime minister's rights have been abolished."
"The imperial court will establish a new organization to exercise power on behalf of the prime minister."
"The name of this organization must be familiar to everyone."
"cabinet!"
Of course, everyone here is familiar with it. Everyone has read the 276-year history of the Ming Dynasty, and naturally knows that the cabinet has been active in the political center of the Ming Dynasty since the Yongle Dynasty.
"How dare I ask His Royal Highness the rank of this cabinet minister?" Li Shanchang hesitated and asked.
"The first assistant is the first grade, and the second assistant is the first grade!" Zhu Biao said with a smile.
Li Shanchang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. He was afraid that Zhu Biao would use a small one to make a big one like he did in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.
Then he can basically retire and return home completely.
After all, he is now the Prime Minister Zuo, the head of the civil service, a truly upright person.
After the restructuring, horizontal transfers are okay, but if they are downgraded, wouldn't it be a joke?
Although it is indeed time for him to retire at his current grade, but...it is hard to let go of this feeling of power!
"In the future, the cabinet will have five fixed positions for bachelors, among which the first assistant will be the first rank, and the remaining assistants will be the first rank!"
"All ministerial positions are subject to renewal every five years, and they can be re-elected for a maximum of one term!"
"Change of office?"
This is a new word that no one has heard of.
The meaning of this sentence is that in the future, cabinet ministers will be elected every five years. After being selected, if there is no dereliction of duty, corruption, bribery, or major crime that violates the Ming Dynasty law, they will basically not be abolished, let alone old age, and they must serve the full term.
"The choice of cabinet ministers...including the selection of senior officials below is all decided by me...ahem, my father Huang Qiangang." Zhu Biao said.
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to laugh, but after all, the occasion was a bit inappropriate, so he held it back.
"What if it's Ding You?" someone asked.
"In the future, the Ming Dynasty will completely abolish the system of Dingyou. If there is an old man in the family who is newly bereaved, you can ask for leave!"
"This...!" Everyone looked at each other in shock after hearing this.
Ding You embodies filial piety, and China has governed the country with filial piety since ancient times.
"Your Highness, this matter involves a lot, do you want to think about it again?" the Minister of Rites said in a deep voice.
"Don't think about it!" Zhu Biao waved his hand and made a domineering decision.
If a parent dies, an official has to go home and stay there for three years, and it is a paid salary. This system is simply a crime in Zhu Biao's opinion.
In fact, according to Zhu Yuanzhang and his wishes, this so-called governing the country with filial piety must be abolished.
Governing the country must rely on the law, not the illusory word filial piety.
Of course it's still too early, things have to be done step by step.
After hearing Zhu Biao's words and seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't object, everyone knew that the matter was finalized.
After all, the current Ming Dynasty is, to be honest, nothing but Lao Zhu’s.
Whatever he said was what he said.
Anyone who dares to oppose it like he did in the middle and late Ming Dynasty is simply because he thinks his life is too long.
Zhu Biao did not get entangled in this matter, but continued: "As for the authority of the five cabinet ministers, the first assistant is the prime minister of all major affairs in the world like the prime minister, and the several secondary assistants are responsible for some parts."
"This division of responsibility is not just about talking about it, but it is about thoroughly clarifying the authority."
"Whoever is responsible will do the work. Others are not allowed to overstep their authority, and you are not allowed to shirk the responsibility."
"If something happens, the leader should take responsibility."
When Zhu Biao said this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't bear to say: "Let me interrupt here!"
"You have all read the history of the Ming Dynasty, and we have personally been to the last years of the Ming Dynasty!"
"One of the most important problems why the Ming Dynasty perished was that officials did not act and blamed each other when things happened."
"Especially starting from Emperor Jiajing, this emperor was very smart, but his intelligence and energy were not used in the right place. He was lazy and did not do anything, and controlled his ministers with checks and balances."
"He was the one who started the party strife in Ming Dynasty!"
"In the later period of Jiajing, everyone was fighting for power and profit, and no one cared about the people or did anything!"
"Can such a Ming Dynasty be immortal?"
"If Zhang Juzheng hadn't come out later, we don't think the Ming Dynasty would have been able to survive the Chongzhen Dynasty."
Everyone listened quietly to Zhu Yuanzhang's words, and at the same time, they were also thinking about what Zhu Yuanzhang said.
At this point, Zhu Yuanzhang softened his tone and continued: "The term change system proposed by Biao'er is very good!"
"In the future, when you are an official, you should not always focus on the position of your boss. You should work more and think more about the people."
"When it's time for a change of office, someone will naturally evaluate what you have done during your term of office. Those who are capable will be promoted and those who are mediocre will be demoted. It's that simple!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Everyone quickly stood up and saluted.
"okay!"
"Everyone sit down and listen to Biao'er continue!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved helplessly.
Zhu Biao continued: "Fourteen ministerial-level units will be established under the cabinet!"
"The previous Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Husbandry, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Ministry of Punishment, and Ministry of Industry remain unchanged, and the ministers of each ministry are still the second grade."
"But at the same time, under the cabinet, there are also the Royal Bank, the Ministry of Industry, the General Administration of Railways, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and finally the Ministry of Liaison with Different Worlds."
"These department heads are second-grade subordinates. Although their grade is half a grade lower than that of the sixth department, they do not govern each other and have no superior-subordinate relationship. They are directly responsible to the cabinet!"
After everyone heard this, they couldn't help but start thinking.
In fact, if you look at it this way, the jurisdiction of the six ministries has not been divided much. Most of the newly added ministerial-level units manage new things that have emerged in recent years.
But there is no doubt that the emergence of these departments will dilute the authority of the six ministers.
"What I said today is actually only temporary. In the future, more ministerial-level units may be established, and cabinet ministers may be added. None of this is set in stone, do you understand?"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, does the Procuratorate fall under the jurisdiction of the cabinet?" Li Shanchang suddenly asked.
"of course not!"
"The Metropolitan Procuratorate is a supervisory department and is responsible for supervising the cabinet!"
Zhu Biao continued with a serious face: "This is what I was about to say. The rank of Zuo Du Yushi of the Ducha Yuan has been upgraded to the first rank, and the rank of Secretary of Dali Temple is the same."
"The two ministries will be independent of the cabinet and will establish independent agencies in each province, prefecture, and even county. From now on, the Criminal Department under the leadership of the cabinet will be responsible for solving cases and arresting criminals, the Dali Temple will be responsible for trials and convictions, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate will be responsible for supervision."
Liu Bowen's heart moved, and he thought to himself: "I haven't done anything yet, and now I'm getting promoted again?"
"This is stripping away the judicial power of the local magistrates!" Everyone understood.
Of course everyone knows that doing this is of great benefit to the state in controlling local areas, but it was really impossible to implement it before!
Because doing so would add countless official positions, which the court could not afford.
But things are different now. After deducting all expenditures last year, the imperial court still had a balance of more than 16 billion in treasure notes, and there was plenty of money.
Perhaps this is the reason why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince began drastic reform of the official system at the beginning of this year.
Nowadays, every department and every official in every department needs money to support them!
If you don’t have money, just change the leather!
After this closed-door meeting, the entire Ming Dynasty's central organization began to make silent adjustments.
The whole process went smoothly, just like previous education reforms.
In fact, strictly speaking, these cannot be regarded as real reforms, they can only be regarded as changes.
Because the Ming Dynasty is still a blank piece of paper, these changes will not touch the interests of vested interest groups, so naturally there will not be much resistance.
If we put it in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, let alone really carry out reforms, even if we just let the news out, it will immediately cause huge waves.
After all, the Ming Dynasty at that time had been devastated by the crazy graffiti of Ming Dynasty officials. Wanting to draw on such paper without damaging the paper was indeed a great test of the painter's skill.
Anyway, Zhu Biao doesn't think he has this ability. Of course, if it were Lao Zhu, he might be able to do it.
